A national group that works to protect cruelty to animals is offering a reward of $2,500 for information leading to an arrest in the case of a dead cat discovered inside a cooler with a rope tied around its neck on Sept. 3 in Lehigh Acres.

The announcement of the reward from The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals came after a story appeared in The Lehigh Acres Citizen about the incident in which local authorities were called to Elva Ave. and 23rd St. SW to pick up a cat that had been strangled to death and put in a cooler and left on the road side.

Ria Brown, a spokeswoman with the Lee County Domestic Animal Services said the cat was a female, gray and white domestic tabby.

Her group was notified in early September when a motorist discovered the cooler along the road and stopped to investigate.

According to the report released by Brown, a rope was tied to the cat’s neck and the end of the rope was attached to the handle of the cooler.

“This is a truly sickening case of animal cruelty, and the heartlessness demonstrated by those responsible is shocking,” said Stacy Wolf, senior vice president of the ASPCA’s Anti-cruelty group. “While our ultimate hope is that this type of heinous act never occurs, this is a message that cruelty toward animals will not be tolerated in our society. We thank Lee County Domestic Animal Services for its commitment to finding justice for this animal.”

Brown noted that Lee County Domestic Animal Services is committed to the welfare of all animals and works in tandem with both community and national partners to halt animal cruelty.

The ASPCA said that it encourages the public to be vigilant when it comes to reporting suspected animal abuse and to contact the appropriate authorities that are responsible for investigating and enforcing the anti-cruelty laws in Florida.

If you have any information about this case, contact Lee County Domestic Animal Services at 239-533-7387, Ext 2, or Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS to remain anonymous and qualify for a reward. Lee County Domestic Animal Services also accepts anonymous tips.